GAO: FAA Needs to Address Challenges to NextGen Transportation System
September 25, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The ability of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement the next generation air transportation system (NextGen) will be affected by how it addresses R&D, human capital and infrastructure challenges, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Although research and development are critical for NextGen, research gaps exist because of a recent decline in NASA's aeronautical research funding and the expanded requirements of NextGen, according to the report.
The majority of the FAA air traffic control (ATC) acquisition programs are being managed within the established cost and time estimates since the FAA created the performance-based Air Traffic Organization (ATO) in 2004 and improved its management of acquisitions, according to the report.
The FAA demonstrated executive-level commitment to addressing systemic factors that contributed to historic cost overruns and schedule delays. The FAA's response to more than 45 recommendations by the GAO contributed to significantly improved acquisition management, according to the report.
While the FAA implemented numerous acquisition management practices, areas remain that need further improvement such as ensuring transparency on rebaselined programs. The FAA plans to address this issue by reporting annually the original budget and schedule baselines and the reasons for the rebaselining, according to the report.
The FAA needs to continue its progress in managing acquisitions since it will be acquiring billions of dollars of new systems as part of the NextGen transformation, according to the report.
The Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) completed the initial versions of three basic planning documents for NextGen but many aviation stakeholders felt the documents, which focus on a 2025 timeframe, lack the information that industry needs to make near-term business decisions to support NextGen, according to the report.
The next version of the NextGen work plan, scheduled to be issued in September 2008, will address some of these concerns.
The ATO recently reorganized to facilitate the transition to NextGen, but it is too early to tell if the reorganization addresses concerns about the fragmented management structure for NextGen since multiple offices in the ATO and the FAA continue to have responsibility for NextGen, according to the report.
The FAA faces a human capital challenge of having the necessary knowledge and skills, such as contract management and system engineering expertise, to implement NextGen, according to the report.
In response to the GAO's prior recommendation in September 2008, the FAA expects to complete an analysis comparing the skills needed for NextGen with its current staff resources. However, it may take considerable time to hire what the FAA estimates could be up to 200 more staff with the needed skills, according to the report.
The FAA also faces the challenge of maintaining and repairing existing ATC infrastructure, such as radar stations, while consolidating or realigning its facilities to accommodate NextGen technologies and operations, according to the report.
An additional infrastructure challenge is increasing airport runway capacity to handle the expected increases in traffic. While the FAA's plans call for building or expanding runways at the nation's 35 busiest airports, its analyses indicate that 14 more airports will still need additional runway capacity.
These efforts to expand capacity by means of runway development could be delayed without significant reductions in emissions and noise around some airports, according to the report.
Purpose of study
The JPDO, which is an interagency organization within the FAA, was created to plan and coordinate research and development for NextGen. Transitioning to NextGen will require the FAA to continue to acquire new ATC systems on schedule and on budget.
The GAO's concerns about the size, complexity and cost of the FAA’s acquisition of ATC systems led the GAO to designate this issue as high-risk in 1995.
NextGen includes system acquisitions but is a significantly larger initiative involving multiple federal agencies, such as NASA, which conducts aeronautics research and development for NextGen and nonfederal aviation stakeholders such as aviation equipment manufacturers, airports and aircraft operators.
Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).